Up, Down and Around Downtown

This weekend I decided to put in some real time in exploring downtown Saint Petersburg (called either “the center” or Nevsky Prospect). 

On Saturday we had an excursion to the Yusupov Palace, near downtown on the Moyka River.  This is the former home of the very wealthy and well connected Yusupov Family.  It is an immense building with multiple ballrooms, secret passages, a decent sized theatre, and art galleries but it still has touches that make it seem like a home.  Of special note: the basement of the palace is where 5 conspirators plotted to, and after considerable effort, succeeded in killing the “mad monk” and imperial adviser Rasputin.

After visiting there a small group of my friends here decided to return to Peter and Paul Fortress in the very center of the city.  We visited there before, on the second day in country, but it was nice to return and see the fortifications and museums at leisurely place and without all of the anxiety of the first week.

On Sunday I decided that I am finally comfortable enough with the city and my Russian to set off on a day of exploration and discovery on my own.  I ended up taking two large circles and walking by most major landmarks and attractions of the city, visiting small places that I have neglected to visit before and just enjoying a rather cold and slightly snowy day.  Not much of note happened as a just observed Russians enjoying their Sunday as I was.  My major accomplishment was going out for 5 hours and not once using English or having any communications problems in stores or the café I ate at.  Here are some of the pictures from my frosty day:

Christmas!

Engineer's Castle 

Speaking of weather, and just for the record, Russia can GET COLD!  While it has not really been lower than 30 degrees F while I have been outside, the wind can be brutal near the water, snow can get blinding at times and it’s only going to get colder.  I think I have adapted pretty well to the conditions here despite it not being out of the 40s or seeing the sun for weeks now.  But to my minor shock, Saturday night’s weather forecast (with wind chill) is -.4 degrees F, time for a true test of my accumulated knowledge about this “weather”.

And a bit of a sad note as well.  This Thursday is of course Thanksgiving and while I knew it would happen someday, I still deeply regret not being home with my family for this holiday.  On Thursday I will have my usual Russian class, but in the evening the will venture out to the American Restaurant in town for a Thanksgiving dinner with my friends here and I hope that will be fun.  We will be like the millions of Americans not home for Thanksgiving before us, and with an ad–hoc family have a good meal and a lot of fun.